Column: Larkin, Paige ready for primetime

Sunday

Miami sophomore Shane Larkin finished second to Virginia Tech’s Erick Green in the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year voting.

North Carolina point guard Marcus Paige was an All-Freshman team selection.

So, their big time performances in the ACC tournament didn’t necessarily come as a shock. However, the last three days in Greensboro did show they are both peaking when it counts.

Neither looks to be hitting the late/postseason wall that some young players, especially point guards, hit – often sending their teams into a tailspin.

Larkin put the Hurricanes on his back over a three-day stretch in earning tournament MVP honors. He was especially dynamic on Sunday in the championship against North Carolina, scoring a career-best 28 points, while dishing out seven assists and also grabbing five rebounds.

The 5-foot-11 floor general turned it over just three times and orchestrated an offense that had just eight turnovers in front of a raucous pro-Tar Heel crowd at Greensboro Coliseum.

On Saturday against N.C. State, also a hostile environment, Larkin played off backcourt mate Durand Scott. After scoring 32 points on Saturday against the Wolfpack, Scott wasn’t up to par in the championship game - hobbled by a back injury. Larkin’s running mate on Sunday was fellow guard Trey McKinney Jones. In a game that will be remembered for its 3-point onslaught, McKinney Jones connected on 6 of 9 from behind the arc and complimented Larkin with 20 points.

Larkin, who says he patterns his game after the Wake Forest legend, Chris Paul, looked the part of a lethal dual threat – averaging nearly 24 points, over five assists and only three turnovers per outing in Greensboro as the primary ball-handler.

“It means a lot (to be tournament MVP),” Larkin said. “My coaches have done a great job of making me the player I am, improving from last season to this season.

“I try to model my game after Chris Paul. He doesn’t always look to score. He knows where to pick his spot. He tries to get his teammates going to see if somebody will get hot. Like Trey was today … just keep feeding him everywhere.”

As dominant as Larkin was, Paige, kept the Tar Heels clicking and on pace with the Hurricanes in a back-and-forth battle for most of the afternoon.

The 6-foot left-hander from Marion, Iowa put up 17 points, drilling three, 3-pointers, with five assists and just one turnover. Paige, who earned a second team All-Tournament selection, showed improved overall play down the homestretch of the ACC campaign and followed up on those efforts in the tournament.

“Marcus is a better player now than he was in December,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “The credit should go to these kids that continued to improve.”

With North Carolina bound for the NCAA tournament, Paige – like plenty of UNC point guards before him - will continue to be pivotal.

In a basketball world where the top performers often jet for the NBA just as we’re getting to know their skill sets, it appears as if we’ll get to see Larkin on the ACC hardwood for at least one more year. However, as we’ve seen before, a national championship run could steer him to the pros quicker than expected.

In Paige’s case, he will likely be in the Carolina blue for three more years.

There's no reason to get ahead too far, though. This weekend, the two young guards showed they can be crucial contributors in the present quests of their teams.